Jacksonville Chamber's Half Way to Steak Fry Drive-Thru Set for April

Kari Pratt has volunteered at the Jacksonville Area Chamber of Commerce's Steak Fry three years running, enough to earn the Chamber's Volunteer of the Third Quarter 2025 award. The Nursing Director at Illinois School for the Deaf gets another opportunity April 17, when the Chamber hosts its Half Way to Steak Fry drive-thru lunch.

The pickup window runs 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., with each $10 plate including a steak sandwich, chips, and dessert. Groups of six or more can arrange delivery within Jacksonville by contacting the Chamber at chamber2@jacksonvilleareachamber.org. Additional ordering details are available on the Chamber's event page.

The drive-thru functions as the midyear companion to the Annual Steak Fry, which the Chamber describes as its largest fundraiser of the year. The 2025 edition was the 68th, placing the event's founding around 1957 or 1958 and making it one of the longest-running civic fundraisers in central Illinois. That event ran September 11, from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. at Jacksonville Municipal Airport, 1956 Baldwin Rd. The fall 2026 edition will mark the 69th.

Hy-Vee, named the Chamber's Business of the Third Quarter 2025, supported both Steak Fry events last year. The Chamber noted the grocer offered "great service and assistance for both Steak Fry events" in 2025, reflecting the role anchor businesses play in sustaining a tradition that now spans nearly seven decades.

Jacksonville, Morgan County's county seat with a 2020 census population of 17,616, is home to major institutional employers including Illinois College, Illinois School for the Deaf, and the Illinois School for the Visually Impaired. Volunteers like Pratt, whose three-year commitment to the Steak Fry earned her the Chamber's quarterly recognition, illustrate how those institutions intersect with the city's civic life.

The Chamber is located at 155 West Morton Avenue and can be reached at (217) 245-2174.